COVID-19 Statement

March 16, 2020

|

Posted By: Orchards Dental

UPDATE AS OF MAY 14 2020

To our Valued Patients,

Starting May 14th, 2020 we are able to provide our full provision of dental treatments. We are so excited to be back and to see everyone that we have missed so much! We hope this letter finds everyone health, happy, and prepared to ease back into regular routines. Much has changed since COVID-19 and we want to update you on our office and the steps we are taking to ensure we do everything possible to keep our patients, our team, and our community safe and healthy.

In-Office Visits

When you arrive for your appointment, please stay in your car and call our office upon your arrival so we can let you know when to come in.

Only the patient that is being treated will be allowed to enter the office. The only exception is for patients requiring a guardian or care-taker. No other family members or friends will be allowed inside.

If at all possible, bring your own mask and wear it to your appointment.

You will be asked to wash your hands immediately upon entry to the clinic.

Your temperature will be taken by our staff using a touch-less thermometer. If your temperature is over 38 degrees Celsius, you will be asked to leave and not return for the specified 14 day self-quarantine requirement.

A simple questionnaire assessing your contacts, travel, and well-being will be asked of all patients as well.

Please remain in the 6 foot social distancing guidelines when in the office until seated in the treatment chair.

Pre-screening Questions

Do you have a fever or have felt hot or feverish anytime in the last 10 days?

Do you have any of these symptoms: New or worsening cough? New or worsening shortness of breath? Difficulty breathing? Sore throat or painful swallowing? Runny nose?

Have you experienced a recent loss of smell or taste?

Have you been in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 positive patients, or persons self-isolating because of a determined risk for COVID-19?

Have you returned from travel outside of Canada within the last 14 days?

Have you returned from travel within Canada from a location known affected with COVID-19 in the last 14 days?

Is your workplace considered high risk?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions or have any questions, please contact us @ (780) 756-9555 so we can take the appropriate precautions to protect you and our staff.

We look forward to seeing you all; here’s to your health and smile!

Team Orchards Dental

UPDATE AS OF MAY 11 2020

On May 14, 2020, Alberta dentists are permitted to return to full provision of services. These oral healthcare services are included in Stage 1 of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy.

UPDATED GUIDELINES

As of May 4, 2020, The Alberta Government announced that dental offices can reopen and we have enacted new guidelines when patients visit our dental clinic.

If you have a face mask, we encourage you to wear it to your appointment

To limit waiting room numbers and to ensure proper social distancing, please have anyone accompanying you to your appointment wait in the vehicle, or come back to pick you up following your appointment

Guardians or caretakers are welcome to attend appointments as usual

Regarding COVID-19, we are open for business but do remind all our patients to follow the guidelines set forth by Public Health Authorities at this time in relation to their dental appointment. If you are not able to keep your dental appointment for any reason, please call us ASAP at (780) 756-9555 or e-mail reception@orchardsdental.ca to reschedule.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon.

Your dental team at Orchards Dental

UPDATE AS OF MAY 4 2020

To our Valued Patients,

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. We sincerely appreciate your patience while we have been restricted to providing emergency dental treatments. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety and dental health.

We are pleased to hear from our Dental Association beginning May 4th we are able to expand our services and they anticipate, if the Alberta Relaunch Strategy remains on track, dentists will be able to provide all regular services starting May 14th. It is our commitment to keep you updated with any new information we receive from our Association so please continue to look out for updates from our clinic.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the clinic.

We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the clinic. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the clinic for you to use as needed.

You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

We are fully equipped with the recommended PPE.

Our clinic continues to follow the strict infection control recommendations made by the Canadian Dental Association and the Alberta Dental Association and College. Infection control is a top priority for our practice and we follow the activities of these agencies to ensure we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

We continue to be open during regular business hours so please do not hesitate to reach out to us to organize future appointments. We thank you for your patience and understanding for any scheduling changes you have already experienced. If you have a future appointment or a dental requirement that you would like addressed as soon as possible, please contact our friendly administrative staff and they will be more than happy to assist you with booking an appointment! To make an appointment, please call our clinic @ (780) 756-9555 or fill out our contact form.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dennis Anithottam, Dr. Merry Anithottam and Team Orchards Dental

UPDATE AS OF APRIL 2 2020

Orchards Dental is now offering online video consultations for our existing patients. You can also select the Facebook chat option on the bottom right of the screen and chat with us directly through Facebook Messanger.

UPDATE AS OF MARCH 17 2020

To our valued patients,

Per the Alberta Dental Association and College, effective immediately only emergency dental treatment will be performed at all Alberta dental clinics until further notice. Emergency dental treatment may include treatment of oral-facial trauma, significant infection, prolonged bleeding or pain which cannot be managed by over-the-counter medications.

We want to reassure you Dr. Dennis will be available 24 hours a day for any questions or concerns you may have regarding your dental health. We pride ourselves on being a family centred and doctor owned practice and we have an unrelenting commitment to doing what is best for our patients and team members.

Dr. Dennis will be present at the clinic during regular business hours so please feel free to call the clinic at 780-756-9555 during our regular posted business hours and after hours on our emergency line at 587-873-3368 (emergency line will be active 24 x 7 and Dr. Dennis will be answering all calls). The phone lines will be open and emails will be received and answered. Dr. Dennis will be available to provide treatment to any patient requiring emergency care and post-treatment care.

Pre-screening will be done per our associations guidelines and infectious disease protocol will be strictly adhered to.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause respiratory illness in people, ranging from mild common colds to severe illnesses. Novel coronaviruses are new strains of the virus that have not been previously identified in humans.

To not further delay treatments, we are reserving appointment times for your regular visits starting the week of April 13th, 2020 and you will be contacted with the new appointment date, with the expectation that we will be open to regular dental care at this time. During this time we will be closely monitoring local, provincial, and national guidelines and preparing and training our staff to best protect themselves, our work families, and by extension our patient families. We will get through this together.